coming of age
by cyanoscarlet
Summary: "Give time," his dedushka used to say. "Growth is something that is never rushed." [written for Edge of Glory Zine]


The low steps by the back entrance of the rink were Yuri's favorite go-to spot when he wanted to be by himself. The measly lighting provided by the single flickering bulb made it no better than a common back alley, but he liked it all the same, especially when he got to pet the black stray cats that stopped by and nuzzled at his feet.

It is here that Yuri finds the girl he'd been asked to look for not more than an hour ago. As much as Viktor and Katsudon dearly love her, there are still much things they have yet to learn as her parents. The argument they must have had before all this happened is but one of the consequences.

With her small back turned towards him, Katsuki Hina's bowed head and trembling shoulders remind Yuri of his own, many, many years ago.

When Viktor had found him before - young, rebellious, and angry with the world - Yuri had lashed out, slapping away his mentor's cold, offending hand before he could so much as breathe a word of lecture to him. His eyes had burned under Viktor's stern gaze, and he had wanted to bolt away and go where no one would find him. The resulting argument between the two had lasted for weeks on end, and Katsudon trying to mediate between them hardly helped at all.

Now, Yuri places his gloved hand back in his pocket and watches as the cold St. Petersburg wind blows across Hina's hair. _Give time,_ his _dedushka_ used to say. _Growth is something never rushed._

He's not surprised when Hina notices him first; he'd expected as much. "You're late, Uncle Yuri," she tells him. "The cats just left."

"You're not supposed to be here, you know," Yuri admonishes her, taking a step forward. "Your parents are worried about you."

"I know," Hina answers, and Yuri feels the weight on her shoulders as if it were on his. He takes this as his cue, quietly descending the steps and sitting beside her. They remain silent for a good few minutes, and Yuri contemplates to himself whether he should call those two idiots yet or no

After a while, Hina looks up, breaking the silence between them. "Where's Uncle Beka?"

"In Almaty. He left before you guys landed." Yuri half-wishes Beka were here, as well. He's always thought his husband better at these things than he is.

"Oh." Hina's disappointed sigh nearly matches his own. Yuri lets her be; he honestly doesn't feel like talking, either.

A pair of seagulls fly over the rink, barely grazing the fluttering blue pennants atop it. The sight of them flying into the sunset reminds Yuri of finding one's way home. _Slow and steady now — you'll make it._

He laughs inwardly at how impatient he used to be. So young, so eager and excited to reach the finish line, that he never looked back. It was when he fell that everything came to a sudden stop.

It had been a decade ago, but to Yuri, it felt like it was just yesterday.

"You're not calling my dads yet," Hina says again after a while.

"I was about to," Yuri confesses, and Hina flinches ever so slightly. She bites her lower lip and looks away, holding her knees closer to herself. He recognizes the silence that hides building frustration as his own, and he thinks she, too, is young and angry.

"But, I guess I'll talk to you myself first," he continues, catching her in surprise. "Normally, I'd let Otabek do the talking, since I'm no good at this. But he's out, so you're stuck with me. Deal with it."

Hina laughs weakly in response, her shoulders sagging like a dam reluctantly opening up in relief.

Yuri listens as Hina talks, hushed and soft-spoken, because despite all the things in which they are the same, Katsudon's demeanor is something she has more than made her own, and he cannot take that away from her. She has to repeat a grade in school. They say she is good, but not good enough. She _isn't_ enough. She can't face her parents, can't make them proud. Why, can't she do anything _right_?

It is something Yuri knows all too well, so he decides to become honest with her. "You're never enough."

Hina's hand stills, her breath hitching at his sharp words.

"But then again, no one ever is. It's why we try our best." Yuri lets a smidge of confidence bleed into his smile, backed by years and years of doing more than his best. "There's nothing wrong with trying hard. It brings you higher, it gets you places."

He leans forward and looks into the fading skyline, and Hina slowly follows his gaze. "The sky has no ceiling; there's no way but up. And the only way you can go there is if you don't look back. Don't worry about falling; there are people underneath, supporting you, pushing you upward.

"Your parents love you. Even if you weren't theirs, they'd love you just the same. Your Uncle Beka and I - in the years we've known you, we've grown proud of you. Proud to be part of your life."

At this, Hina's face visibly crumples in relief. "I-I…"

"You're still young, you know? There will still be many things you won't understand, still many things you'll learn. But for what it's all worth, as long as you try your best, that's enough. Enough for you, enough for your dads, enough for me."

Yuri tries not to cringe at his own words. As sincere as he had been just now, this isn't like him at all. Mila would probably be laughing at him if she were here now. It's during times like these that he misses her terribly.

"I… Thank you," Hina exhales, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I guess I needed to hear that."

"And you'd better remember it," Yuri huffs back, ruffling her short, black locks. "I'm not repeating it again." Despite the gruff words, he puts an arm around her and gently rubbing her shoulder.

Yuri lets Hina sleep on his shoulder, giving her another ten minutes before finally calling Viktor. He arrives almost immediately with Katsudon, and the reunion was nothing short of emotional, as per the usual Katsuki-Nikiforov standards.

"Well, I guess my job's done here." Yuri stands up and adjusts his hair tie before preparing to leave.

Viktor puts a hand on his shoulder in appreciation. "Thanks, Yura."

"Yeah, sure," Yuri waves him off. "You guys still need to talk."

"I know," Viktor nods. "And Yura?"

"What?"

Viktor smiles at him, his eyes beaming with pride. "You've grown."

"'Course I have," Yuri smirks back. "I'm taller than Katsudon. I'm taller than _you_."

"You know that's not what I mean." Viktor regards him intently before joining Katsudon and Hina in the car. The family waves at him as they pull away.

Yuri does not wave back. "Whatever."


End file.
